Turned in fine-grained boxwood in the form of a ship's capstan, this handsome little table item conceals its real purpose: two baths in semi-precious carnelian for watch-parts. Years of dousing with the rich whale-oil that was the standard lubricant until refined mineral oil became available, has lent the normally pale wood an amber-like transparency...

Beautiful and practical, this small gem is designed to protect a small pocket watch and to display it on a table or mantle when it is not being carried. The finely carved face, with its delicate design of a branch of edelweiss, opens to reveal the velvet-lined compartment and then folds under to form the footed easel stand. German or Swiss, late Nineteenth Century. Closed approximately 3-3/8 inches long by 1-5/8 inches by one inch high, the height when open is about 3-1/8 inches...

An item both subtle and ostentatious, this elegant novelty once graced the lapel of a 19th Century dandy. In fine running condition, the winder is set an extraordinary distance above the works to allow for easy display. The silver case is hallmarked Bern Switzerland, .935 purity.